armed citizens assisting police

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Good Morning everyone. So every now and then i'll read a NRA publication...and sometimes there would be an article about how an armed citizen assisted the police with their duties... and it seems like every event has taken place either out west or in the south...my question would be, has anything like that ever happened up in Mass? and if it did happen, was there any rewards or recourse against the armed citizen? and another question...if you did see a police officer in need of assistance and you were carrying at the time what would you do?

I think southern cops are less militant than the ones here in the NE so maybe citizens feel more comfortable lending a hand. I can't think of too many situations were it would be a good idea to walk up and draw a gun around a police officer.

I think it would be a pretty good way to end up getting shot at by a policeman around here. Other parts of the country, officials acknowledge citizens rights to self defense. The culture is such that they would expect citizens to be armed. In Mass, jeez, didn't marcia warn us against "self help".

wolf223

this is where one has to use the "personal" responsibility approach and MYOFB. why?

i can get a CCW Badge, a halloween costume and throw some strobes on my car and pretend to be a cop. the "bad guy" could very well be a REAL cop and busting me for playing make believe. ... maybe i just pulled someone over and sexually assaulted them... which HAS happened in past.

again, if you ain't a police officer, you need to think outside the box and stay in your lane.

If an officers life was in danger I would step up, if he were outnumbered and in imminent danger, I'd help out, if he was injured I'd assist him/her, but I'm not wandering up to an interaction between a LEO and anyone else and offering to lend a hand. It is a recipe for disaster.

If an officers life was in danger I would step up, if he were outnumbered and in imminent danger, I'd help out, if he was injured I'd assist him/her, but I'm not wandering up to an interaction between a LEO and anyone else and offering to lend a hand. It is a recipe for disaster.

This.
From time to time there are incidents when a LEO needs a friend. Some years ago a Holyoke cop was getting the crap beaten out of him by a group of guys and a citizen jumped in and decked a couple of them. He took some lumps, too, but he kept it from getting worse until backup arrived.
Here's a scenario: you see a cop in a fight, he or she gets knocked down and the bad guy snatches the pistol from his/her holster. You're carrying. What next?

it would have to be a pretty unique situation. I admit i often fantasize about my car being comendeared for a police chace and i get to be the driver, but when it comes to volentarily jumping into a gun fight i would be more hesitant

I watched a good one a while ago on youtube and for the life of me I cannot find it. It was a dash cam in the officers car capturing a guy dishing out a good beating on the cop when a passerby in a pick up truck(yes this was down south) stopped got out racked his shotgun and with a few choice words lol ended the assault on the officer. The cop was thanking this guy up and down as he handcuffed the suspect, waying he would have killed me if you didnt stop.

In MA: You keep quiet, eyes open, and you act as a witness in the criminal trial. Don't put your LTC at risk.
In places with mayhem law protection: You pull, tell him to drop it, and put a few center mass. Cops are people just like you and I.

Mas Ayoob addressed that question in the LFI-I course I took in 1998. Assuming the officer appears to be simply having trouble securing a suspect, you simply ask, "does the officer require assistance". This assumes a one on one kind of situation where a simple helping hand may be appreciated. If it's a full on gunfight or several perps wailing on an officer, you'll just have to decide on your own if you want to get involved.
Any LEO's out there, it would be nice to hear your thoughts.

this came up a few years ago at an advanced handgun course. 2 LEO SWAT from MA were in the course and commented on the fact that they were disappointed that "civilians" were in the course and that they would have to lie to their chief about this fact in order for the PD to pay for it. anyway the instructor of the course an Army Ranger, seasoned SWAT team leader and current LEO said something directed to these two to the effect of " if i were in a situation where an armed citizen helping me meant living i'd be all for it" BTW i think the SWAT guys were upset that they were not the best shooters in the course, this happened during the debriefing.